Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for processing fish, and more particularly to systems and methods for conveying fish from one processing subsystem to another in a reliable and consistent manner.
Description of the Related Art
In some fish products, the head is removed at the gills, leaving a hard cartilage structure on the head end of the fish called the collar. The viscera, including the gonads (roe or milt) are removed, the kidney membrane is cut and the kidney is removed with water sprays and brushes. In the salmon industry, this remaining fish product is called a head and gut product and is a valuable commodity. An initial step of preparing such head and gut product is the removal or severing of the head from the body of the fish. Various devices for severing the head of the fish are known, including systems which feature a guillotine knife operated with a pneumatic cylinder which is actuated with compressed air to plunge through fish which are transported beneath the knife. Other example fish processing systems for removing the head of fish are described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0189913, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Various fish processing systems for removing the viscera of fish are also known, including, for example, those described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,512,106, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The aforementioned deheading and gutting systems feature distinct features and functionality and may be considered distinct fish processing subsystems. Notably, fish gutting subsystems are generally positioned downstream of fish deheading subsystems to receive fish in a headless condition for subsequently removing the guts. Various conveyor systems are known to move fish between and among such fish processing subsystems.
While known conveyor systems have been generally effective in moving fish between and among fish processing subsystems or stations, such conveyor systems may suffer from various deficiencies and shortcomings, such as, for example, being bulky or cumbersome, and the conveyor systems may be overly complex and expensive to produce and/or operate.